The Real Equestrian Avengers
by ChaoticRambler
Summary: Twilight is gone, and the Elements of Harmony are incomplete. A new race of gods is rising up to challenge the rulers of Equestria. How will the Mane Cast fare? Will the Element-Bearers have to become gods themselves? -ON HIATUS-
1. Only the Beginning

A year and a half ago, Twilight received a summons from the Princesses. Her expertise were badly needed, and she and Spike were to come immediately. However, the letter read, this was not to be an official visit. She was to tell no one where she was going and she was to leave on foot. She packed her bags, and would have left right then if not for a little nagging problem.

Rarity was in the Library, and refused to leave so Twilight could close. "You simply MUST, darling," she begged. "I need them so BADLY," she pleaded. After several minutes of this, Twilight lost her temper.

"Fine! If I give you wings again, will you shut up and leave?" Rarity was shocked by this response, but nodded slowly. Twilight cast the spell, and ran off with her Dragon. "Lock the door on the way out!" She never looked back to see that the spell had gone horribly wrong.

Rarity had received her beautiful wings, but was left only a few inches tall.

She would have fixed it upon her return, I would imagine, but she never got the chance. On route to Canterlot the pair were ambushed and Spike was badly wounded. Twilight Sparkle, on the other hand, disappeared.

Today, Spike returns to Ponyville for the first time. Celestia gave him a simple assignment, to bring the Element-bearers to the castle as quickly as possible. He's the director of a new organization, dedicated to seeking out and destroying an emerging threat and he reports solely to the Princesses.

He is Spike Fury, Agent of H.O.O.F

* * *

><p>The five ponies were brought before the Princesses, the dual avatars of ponykind, Celestia and Luna. Without a word, they were separated, and the Princesses took their champions to separate chambers. Fluttershy followed Luna, and went deep into the catacombs below the Castle.<p>

"My sister told me how you fared with that dragon in Ponyville" The Princess began, "And we need you to repeat your success." Fluttershy stuttered her response.

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

"We need you to go to the dragon-lands, and raise an army to help us in the coming battle."

"Battle? Army?" Fluttershy stuttered again "I mean…Why can't you do it?"

"My sister and I are occupied with other matters." Fluttershy gulped. "There's just one problem. The dragons have no king."

Luna continued talking as they arrived in a room with a giant domed ceiling, and symbols drawn on the floor. The floor was littered with large, bleached bones.

"These are his bones. They've been buried for thousands of years, but we need them in order to give you an edge in your coming trials. Stand in the center"

Fluttershy was frozen, and the princess had to push her across the room. Luna smiled. "You're going to be given a great gift, that few ponies ever receive. You will no longer be pony, but neither will you be dragon. You will be something in between and yet so much greater."

Luna began chanting, and the room was filled with a magnificent green glow—a glow whitch filled the timid mare and raised her into the air. The bones shook with a powerful tremor, and burst apart, filling the room with a thick white dust.

When the dust settled, however, Fluttershy was no different. The Princess frowned. Their experiment was a failure, and the bones were destroyed

"There's nothing we can do. We need you to be our ambassador, whether you be pony or dragon and whether not you can be their queen.

"Go to their lands, and bring them together. We have great trust in you, Fluttershy. Stay calm and let your instincts guide you. You will find a way."


	2. So Awesome

While Fluttershy boarded her chariot and departed the castle, Celestia led Rainbow Dash into a familiar section of castle. She led her down the carpeted hall, past history marked in glass.

They walked quickly, and the images on the windows blended together; Nightmares and dreams, Discord and harmony, the sun and the moon; they were naught but a rainbow blur to the eyes of the young pegasus. That's how she liked it.

"Rainbow Dash, do you know what Discord was?" The princess asked gently.

"A Dragoquarterback?"

"Discord was a Dragonequus. But he was also a god."

Rainbow didn't bother suppressing her laughter. "A god? But everyone knows you and Luna are the only gods!"

"We are now. There used to be many, but there was a war and many of us died out. Some were good friends. Others were brothers." Rainbow frowned, and splayed her ears.

She wanted to offer a shoulder, but there were no tears in this tale. They stopped at a door, with a large central lock. The princess inserted her horn, and they stepped through the now open entry.

"Discord had a son named Tempest. He was a great man: Fierce, compassionate and full of the spirit of camaraderie. He was also the ancestor to MANY pony families. When he died, his horn was forged into a mighty hammer." Rainbow had to stop for a moment, her stomach was churning at just the thought.

"Tempest was a great friend, and I fought hard to claim that hammer from our enemies. Many ponies were lost, but I could not let his remains be desecrated for the sake of a few lightning bolts."

Rainbow nodded. That was something she understood. What kind of pony would swing around someone's horn?

"Sadly, I must now give this hammer to you." Rainbow's eyes popped out.

"What do you mean, Princess?"

"I mean, that we are in dire straights and we need Tempest's power more than ever." Dash didn't understand, didn't the princess just say—"I need someone who understands this privilege and understands the value of other ponies to wield this."

"I don't get it princess? Isn't this just as bad?"

"No. So long as you respect the power, and allow Tempests' spirit to guide you it is not. You are a brave, loyal pony. I think he would be proud to have you carry on his memory." The princess's horn glowed, and a weapon floated to her side. It was made of shining metal, and its handle was wrapped with soft, aged leather. The princess locked eyes with Rainbow Dash.

"Whosoever wields this hammer, if she be worthy, shall possess the powers of Tempest. The ability to forge winds and wield lightning. The ability to bring light where there is darkness. From this day forward, young Rainbow Dash, you shall be known as Bifrost, Avatar of the Storm."


	3. Cupcakes

Pinkie Pie was bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. She'd been stuck in this room for hours and there was nothing to do! Worse, she was all alone to do it! That just wasn't fun.

For the first hour she'd tried jumping on the bed, but that ended when she got her hoof stuck in a springy spring. Then, she bounced on the spring!

But it broke.

So she decided to hide in the closet for a while so that she could jump out and surprise the Princess when she came to get her…but that took **way** too long.

In the end she was stuck sitting on the broken bed swinging her legs and munching on the cupcakes she packed for **just** such an occasion.

Finally, after hours and hours of hoof-twiddling and cupcake munching, a guard came to get her. She bounced along behind him with a cheerful giggle.

Celestia sat in her throne, her magnificent crown shining in the waning sunlight. Her sister was raising the moon, and it seemed that she was setting the sun as well. Weird.

Pinkie Pie bounced up to her. "Hi Princess! It's so cool to get to see you again! I was in that room forever!"

The Princess chuckled. "Yes, Ms. Pie. Twenty minutes is a long time to wait. You know why you're here?"

"Party?"

"No, Pinkie. You're here because I need your help."

"Oh! Do you need me to throw a party? I'm good at that!"

"No, I—"

"I make really yummy punch!"

"I'm sure you do. What I need you to do is a bit more serious, however."

"Aww…"

The Princess was beginning to regret her decision, to trust these ponies as her champions. To elevate them to god-status. But she had little choice and she'd had her share of chaotic gods in her life.

She reasoned that Pinkie Pie was worth the risk. She held out a bow. It was very simple, with no ornamentation. Just a plain, wooden, bow.

"I once had a very dear friend, the most beautiful kind of doe. She wandered through forests and plains, and tended to the animals of the world. Oryx was a lot like your Fluttershy."

Pinkie Pie wanted to interject, but she could tell that this was the kind of story that needed complete silence. She shuffled her hooves.

"No one should be subject to the horrors of war, Pinkamina. But a gentle soul like that fares the worst. Ponies like Fluttershy are meant to bring people together, unite nations through words—never bring them down by the tip of an arrow."

"That's why I'm giving you Oryx's bow, the symbol of her power. May it make you as swift as an antelope, and give you eyes like the greatest raptor in the sky."

"So…you want me to shoot things?"

"Yes, Pinkie. I hope that through your laughter and joy, you can keep from sinking into the same pit of despair that has claimed so many of my own."

"Okie dokie…whatever you say." Pinkie smiled, thinking of the biggest cupcake of all. Cupcakes make everything better.

"I thought you'd react like that. You'll be spending the next few weeks training with Sgt Arcas. He will teach you everything you need to know."

"Yay! So when do we eat?"


	4. Down in the Valley

Fluttershy sighed as the chariot passed over another range of mountains. She was deeply regretting agreeing to this mission, because she was heading deep into dragon territory. She shivered. She was covered in sweat, from head to hoof and the high altitude wasn't doing her any favors. That, and she was scared out of her mind. The stallion next to her gave a gentle smile, and she returned it with a chatter of her teeth.

"We don't have much farther, Ambassador. Just a few more hours of travel."

A large mountain loomed in front of them, ringed by a thick smog that shined a bright orange. The sun was setting behind it.

"Are we going to...we're not going to spend the night there aren't we, Lieutenant?"

The soldier shook his head, causing the plumes on top of his helmet to flutter . "No Ma'am. I don't know how long we'll be staying there, but tonight we're going to have to camp out.

Fluttershy muttered to herself. She was very familiar with camping, it was expected of that experienced forester would spend days alone in the woods, but she'd never gotten over her fear of dragons.

These mountains were bound to be full of dragons.

Fluttershy winced as the chariot skidded to a halt, hopping over a trail of dry dirt and rocks. The Lieutenant stepped from the chariot, and stretched his haunches. "Where are we?"

Lt. Lightfoot set his helmet on the seat and smiled. "Welcome to the Valley of the Sleeping Dragon." Fluttershy's body immediatly locked up into a tiny ball of yellow hair. It took Lightfoot an hour to get her out of the chariot.

* * *

><p>Applejack narrowed her eyes and stared intently at the line in front of her. A dozen of soldiers, a sea of gleaming metal in the dusty court yard. A row of archers behind them.<p>

She dug her feet in and snorted-One pony against the tide. A trumpet sounded, and she charged.

Arrows fell around her like hail, stabbing into packed dirt like it was fresh, creamery, butter. She hopped left, weaved right, skidded and stopped so an arrow could fall harmlessly in front of her.

She was closer, she leapt through the dusty cloud and over a surprised purple pony, whipping around and kicking him in the face.

Sword glanced off her back, clanging against her metal plates, and hooves came rushing towards her exposed jaw. Block left! Kick right! Punch! Buck! The soldiers fell one after another until she was alone, beneath the high stone walls and on top of a large pile of defeated soldiers.

Applejack turned toward the doorway and the gentle hoof-prints on the other side. Applejack bowed.

Princess Celestia smiled. "Stand up, Applejack. There's no need for you to bow. I'm very proud of your progress."

"Why, thank ya, Your Majesty" Applejack removed her bronze helm, and a soft blonde braid spilled out from underneath. "I've been workin' mighty hard."

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but her voice faded away as Applejack's attention was brought toward a quiet whistle. Applejack pounced, pushing the princess aside in a burst of speed. The two tumbled to the ground in the dirt.

An arrow thudded into the ground with a loud thud. Applejack's head darted around, searching for the offending archer. "Are ya' Crazy! You almost hit the Princess!" She spotted a pony, in the shadows of the wall above, and jumped to her feet-only to be knocked back again by a large colorful explosion.

The archer giggled as she hopped to the ground, spinning around in the rain of confetti. Celestia stood, and brushed herself off, while Applejack just sat there in a daze.

Pinkie put her bow away, and bounced over to her friend. "That was fun! Can we do it again?"


End file.
